ELMSFORD, N.Y. (April 28, 2014) – 168 of the Met Area's top seniors are set to tee it up Monday, May 5 at the 87th MGA Senior Amateur Championship, the first championship of the MGA's 2014 season. The 36 hole, two-day event will be hosted by Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford, Conn., and this year's field is one of the strongest in recent memories, complete with nine past champions and talented players looking to start off the 2014 season with a win.
This year's highly competitive field is highlighted by defending champion Jon Tingley of Stanton Ridge who last year won this event by three strokes and took home the trophy in his first ever MGA championship. Cyrus Whitney Jr. of Hackensack was last year's runner up and will be looking to earn a win.
Two-time Senior Am winner (2012 and 2008) Ron Vanelli of Forsgate, the 2005 MGA Player of the Year and 2011 winner John Ervasti of Sleepy Hollow are both strong contenders. Vannelli, who qualified for the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur, and Ervasti, the only amateur to win the MGA Senior Open in 2010, had outstanding 2013 seasons and can be counted on to have strong performances at Rockrimmon.
The only player to win the MGA Senior Amateur three times, Steve Rose of Fresh Meadow, finished in third place at Navesink last year and would shatter more records with a fourth win. Al Small of Fairmount, the 2009 winner, holds the record for the lowest winning score when he shot a 36-hole total of 141 at Preakness Hills. Small had a spectacular season in 2013, winning the New Jersey Senior Am, finishing third in the MGA Senior Am, and advancing to the Round of 32 in the USGA Senior Amateur. The 2007 winner Jay Blumenfeld of Mountain Ridge also had a top-ten finish in 2013.
More former champions are in field, including 2006 winner Shawn McLoughlin of Ridgewood, Ned Steiner of Mountain Ridge who won in 2000, and the 1996 champ Dick Siderowf. Siderowf has an extremely decorated personal record book – he is a four-time Walker Cup member, the Low Amateur in the 1968 U.S. Open and a five-time Met Amateur winner, just to name a few of his accomplishments.
Other names to watch are James Graham of Winged Foot, Ed Gibstein of Engineers, Tom Yellin of Stanwich, Jay Sessa of Cherry Valley, and Marty Winkelman of Glen Head, the 2013 MGA Senior Masters Tournament winner.
This is the first MGA championship that the Stamford, Conn. course will be hosting. The tree-lined, hilly course will provide a great backdrop to the 87th edition of the Senior Amateur. The stroke-play championship is open to golfers 55 and over, and the field is cut down to the low 40 scores and ties (and anyone within 5 shots of the lead) after the first 18 holes.
The MGA will be providing live scoring updates throughout the championship, including 6 hole scoring on the final day. Please visit www.mgagolf.org and follow @MGA1897 on Twitter for complete championship coverage including scores, player interviews, photos, and recaps throughout the event.
